美国名人 社会改革家 雅各布·里斯.docx

美国名人社会改革家雅各布里斯JacobRiis,1849-1914:HeWorkedtoMakeNewYorkCityaBetterPlaceforPoorPeopleplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-17:45repeatByHerbertSutcliffe2010-7-31JacobRiis,Men's1.odgingRoomintheWest47thStreetStation,c.1892SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:I'mShirleyGriffith.RAYFREEMAN:AndmRayFreemanwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPEOP1.EINAMERICA.Everyweekatthistime,theVoiceofAmericatellsaboutsomeoneimportantinthehistoryoftheUnitedStates.ThisweekwetellaboutJacobRiis.Hewasawriterwhousedallhisenergytomaketheworldabetterplaceforpoorpeople.(MUSIC)SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:Inthespringofeighteenseventy,ayoungmantraveledacrosstheAtlanticOceantoNewYorkCity.TheyoungmancamefromDenmark.HisnamewasJacobRiis.Hewasjusttwenty-oneyearsold.HisfirstyearsintheUnitedStatesweredifficult,likethoseofmostimmigrantsatthattime.Itwasdifficulttogetajob.JacobRiiswentfromplacetoplaceseekingwork.Hedidanykindofworkhecouldfind:Farming,coalmining,brick-making.Heeventriedtoearnmoneyasapeddler.Hewentfromhousetohousesellingthings.Manytimeshesleptwhereverhecould.Soonhewasbeginningtolosehope.HedecidedtoleaveNewYork.Hestartedtowalknorth.Afteratime,hearrivedintheBronx,thenorthernpartofNewYorkCity.Hisfeetburnedwithpain.Andhewashungry.RAYFREEMAN:"Ihadnoteatenathingsincethedaybefore.Ihadnobreakfast,anddecidedtohaveaswimintheBronxRiver,instead.Butthatdidnothelp.IwasjustashungrywhenIcameoutofthewater."ThenIwalkedslowlytoFordhamCollege,whichwasnotfarfromwhereIwas.ThedoorstoFordhamCollegewereopen,andIwalkedin,fornoreason.Iwasjusttiredandhadnothingelsetodo."FordhamisaCatholiccollege.AndanoldmonkcametomeandaskedinakindvoiceifIwashungry.Istillrememberinmydreamsatnightthebeautifulfaceofthatoldmonk.Iwasterriblyhungry,andsaidIwas,althoughIdidnotmeantodoso.Ihadneverseenareallivemonkbefore.Myownreligiouseducationasa1.utherandidnotteachmetolikeCatholicmonks."Iatethefoodthatwasbroughttome.ButIwastroubled.Iwasafraidthataftergivingmefoodzthechurchmanwouldaskmetochangemyreligiousbeliefs.Isaidtomyself:'Iamnotgoingtodoit.'ButwhenIhadeaten,Iwasnotaskedtodoanything.IwasgivenmorefoodwhenIleft,andcontinuedonmyway.IwasangrywithmyselfforhavingsuchbadthoughtsabouttheCatholicchurchmenatFordhamCollege.Forthefirsttime,Ilearnedsomethingabouthowtolivewithpeopleofdifferentreligiousbeliefs."(MUSIC)JacobRiis,HomeofanItalianRagpicker,1888SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:1.aterzJacobRiislearnedmoreaboutlikingpeople,eveniftheyaredifferent.Thistime,ithappenedwhilehewasworkingonarailroadwithmenwhodidroughworkandlookedrough.RAYFREEMAN:"Ihadneverdonethatsortofwork,anditwasnottherightjobforme.Ididmybesttoworkliketheothermen.Butmychestfeltheavy,andmyheartpoundedinmybodyasifitweregoingtoexplode.TherewerenineteenIrishmeninthegroup.Theywerebig,roughfellows.Theyhadchosenmeastheonly'Dutchman'-astheycalledme-tomakethemlaugh.Theyweregoingtousemeaspartoftheirjokes."Butthentheysawthatthejobwasjusttoohardforme.Thismadethemfeeldifferentaboutme.Itshowedanothersidetothesefun-loving,big-heartedpeople.Theythoughtofmanywaystogetmeawayfromtheveryroughwork.Onewastogetmetobringwaterforthem.Theylikedstrongerthingstodrinkthanwater.Butnowtheysuddenlywantedwaterallthetime.Ihadtowalkalongwayforthewater.Butitstoppedmefromdoingtheworkthatwastoohardforme.Thesepeoplewereveryroughintheirways.Butbehindtheroughnesstheyweregoodmen."SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:Atlast,JacobRiisgotajobwritingforanewspaperinNewYorkCity.Thiswashischance.Hefinallyhadfoundaprofessionthatwouldleadtohislifeworkmakingtheworldabetterplaceforpoorpeople.Thenewspapersenthimtopoliceheadquartersforstories.Therehesawlifeatitsworst,especiallyinaverypoorpartofNewYorkwhichwasknownasMulberryBend.JacobRiis,Bandit'sRoost,MulberryStreet,c.1888RAYFREEMAN:"Itwasnoplaceformenandwomen.Andsurelynoplaceforlittlechildren.Itwasaterribleslum-assuchplacesarecalled-wheretoomanyarecrowdedtogether,wherethehousesandstreetsaredirtyandfullofrats.Theplacebegantotroublemeasthetruthaboutitbecameclear.Otherswerenottroubled.TheyhadnowayoffindingouthowterriblethelivesofpeoplewereinMulberryBend.Butasanewspaperreporter;Icouldfindthetruth.SoIwentthroughthedarkdirtystreetsandhouses,andsawhowthepeoplesufferedinthisarea.AndIwrotemanystoriesaboutthelifethere."Ididgoodworkasapolicereporter,butwantedachange.Myeditorsaid,'no,.HeaskedmetogobacktoMulberryBendandstaythere.HesaidIwasfindingsomethingtherethatneeded-Ilme.SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:ThewordsofJacobRiis'editorprovedtobeverytrue.Riisstartedapersonalwaragainstslumhouses,thesorthesawinMulberryBend.HelearnedtouseacameratoshowthepublicclearlywhattheMulberryBendslumwaslike.Thecameraintheeighteeneightieswasnothinglikeitistoday.ButRiisgothispictures.RAYFREEMAN:"Imadegooduseofthemquickly.Wordscouldgetnoactiontochangethings.Butthepicturesdid.Whatthecamerashowedwassopowerfulthatthecity'shealthofficialsstartedtodosomething.AtlastIhadastrongpartnerinthefightagainstMulberryBend-mycamera."(MUSIC)SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:JacobRiiscontinuedthefighttocleanuptheslumsformanyyears.Therewerenotmanypeopletohelphim.Itwasalonelyfight.ButhiscameraandfightingwordshelpedtogetalawpassedwhichwoulddestroytheMulberryBendslum.Finally,thegreatdaycame.Theslumhousingwasgone.Theareahadbecomeapark.RAYFREEMAN:"Whentheyhadfixedthegroundsothegrasscouldgrow,Isawchildrendancingthereinthesunlight.Theyweregoingtohaveabetterlife,thankGod.Wehadgiventhemtheirlostchance.Ilookedatthesedancingchildrenandsawhowhappytheywere.Thisplacethathadbeenfullofcrimeandmurderbecamethemostorderlyinthecity."ThemurdersandcrimesdisappearedwhentheyletsunlightcomeintotheBend.Thesunlightthatshoneuponchildrenwhohad,atlast,therighttoplay.ThatwaswhattheMulberryBendParkmeant.SotheBendwent.AndIwasveryhappythatIhadhelpedtomakeitgo."JacobRiis,BlindBeggar,c.1890SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:ThatwasnotRiis'lastbattletomakelifecleanerandbetterformanypeople.Hehadgreatenergy.Andhisloveforpeoplewasasgreatashisenergy.HestartedacampaigntogetcleanwaterforthestateofNewYork.Heshowedthatwaterforthestatewasnothealthyforpeople.Stateofficialswereforcedtotakeactionsthatwouldcleanthewater.Healsoworkedtogetlawsagainstchildlabor,andmadesurethattheselawswereobeyed.Inthosedays,whenRiiswasafightingnewspaperreporter;lawsagainstchildlaborweresomethingnew.Peopledidnotobjecttomakingyoungchildrenworklonghours,inplacesthathadbadairandbadlight.ButintheUnitedStatestoday,childlaborisnotlegal.ItwasbecauseofmenlikeJacobRiisthatthisisso.Hewasalsosuccessfulingettingplaygroundsforchildren.Andhehelpedestablishcentersforeducationandfunforolderpeople.Hisbook,"HowtheOtherHalf1.ives/'waspublishedineighteenninety.Hebecamefamous.Thatbookandhisnewspaperreportsinfluencedmanypeople.TheodoreRoosevelt,wholaterbecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates,calledRiisthemostusefulcitizeninNewYorkCity.Riiscontinuedtowriteaboutconditionsthatwereinneedofmajorreform.Histwelvebooks,including"ChildrenofthePoor,"helpedimproveconditionsinthecity.Thebooksalsomadehimpopularasaspeakerinothercities.JacobRiis'sconcernforthepoorkepthimsobusywritingandspeakingaroundthecountrythatheruinedhishealth.Hediedinnineteenfourteen.(MUSIC)RAYFREEMAN:ThisSpecialEnglishprogramwaswrittenbyHerbertSutcliffeandproducedby1.awanDavis.mRayFreeman.SHIR1.EYGRIFFITH:AndmShirleyGriffith.1.istenagainnextweekforanotherPEOP1.EINAMERICAprogramontheVoiceofAmerica.